Дедушка Зима or The Magnificent Adventure in the Bewitched Forest
by Terrenis
Summary: ... a WinterIron Fairy Tale, written for the WinterIron Holiday Exchange on Tumblr. Anton Stark never had an easy life. But when his neglective father throws him out in the middle of the Bewitched Forest, he encounters not only robbers and ugly witches, but maybe also the love of his life - the Prince of Winter, also called Dedushka Zima.


**Дедушка Зима or The Magnificent Adventure in the Bewitched Forest**

 **A WinterIron Fairy Tale by Terrenis**

* * *

 ***** I. One upon a time in Russia *****

* * *

Once upon a time in the Great Empire of Russia, there lived a widowed smith in a small village near St. Petersburg. Howard, as the smith was called, had started early to make himself a name as an inventor not only in the western world, but also in Imperial Russia. Through connections, he married Maria, the daughter of a boyar, including her more than impressive inheritance, making him the richest man in the village.

Unfortunately, Howard lost his wife while she was giving birth to his son, Anton. Due to his grief, a widowed peasant woman from his settlement agreed to become Anton's wet-nurse and caretaker, raising him in lieu of Maria, since Howard was always too busy to take care of his son himself. Sarah gave him the love Howard did not, because while the inventor was a genius in whatever he did, his parental skills were practically non-existent. And so, during the next few years, life went back to normal. Almost. Until the rumours started to circulate around the village.

You see, normally it was expected that a widower would remarry after a certain time of mourning. But as usual, Howard, being the cranky person he was, did not give a damn thing about what other people expected him to do. And so no one was really surprised when, six years after Anton's birth, another son was born to him, who definitively had not Anton's dark complexion, but inherited Sarah's fair one.

Sarah knew that the villagers whispered behind their backs about their unusual arrangement - she could hear the hushed voices and feel the gazes on her back every time she went to the market - but she was a modern woman and since Howard had made sure that her Stepka would be taken care of if something ever happened to her, there was no need for a marriage. The inventor had wanted a second son and she had given him one in exchange for security.

Anton was ten and Stepka four years old, when things started to go downhill. It started when Sarah died after a long illness. Anton was just as crushed as his half-brother, because Sarah had been like a mother to him and her death had hit him just as hard as it had Stepan. In the weeks after her death, both boys could often be found huddled together, mostly in the barn, but also at the small lake near the Bewitched Forest or sometimes in Howard's workshop, although the inventor would chase them away when caught, claiming they'd disturb his creative thinking.

When it became clear that the old man wouldn't hire another nanny to take care of his sons, Anton, whether if he liked or not, began to take that position. He tried to remember what Sarah had showed him so far and taught himself the rest in the course of time. Cooking, cleaning, sewing, knitting, raising Stepka became Anton's responsibility during the day, while at night he investigated new methods to make life a little bit easier.

Anton was Howard's son, after all, and so he built himself simple machines that helped him to make chores so easy that even Stepka could help him from time to time. He loved tinkering so much that he started building for the local, too, like Bruce, the doctor from the western part of Europe that knew healing methods from Asia or Africa, or Thor, the Scandinavian merchant with a big love for Russia. This way, he became friends with most of the people, who helped him in return, when he needed something.

Of course, Howard didn't notice, because he had secluded himself more and more, forgetting the still spinning world around him.

So the years went by and Anton grew up into a fine young man of marriageable age. But marriage wasn't really an option for him right now. Sure, he wanted to get out of the village, preferably as quickly as possible and not without Stepka. Sure, most of the village girls - and boys - seemed to have a sudden focus on him, serenading him, wherever and whenever he walked down the main road.

Hell, Anton had no idea, how they managed to perform whole musicals every single day. The villagers watched the spectacle with amusement and sometimes Thor would join in, when they formed circles around him. It was fun. But in the end, Anton always declined their offers, knowing that as soon as potential parents-in-law would meet his father, the wedding would be called off on the spot. Sometimes, life just sucked.

Today was no different. He was on his way back from a meeting with Farmer Barton, whose farm was located on the northern outskirts and who was very interested in an irrigation system for his fields, if possible before the winter arrived. Which was good for the young man, because he had already a few ideas in his mind. But it also meant that Anton had to sneak into his father's workshop, since he was going to need some of his old man's tools. Luckily, Howard was gone for a few days, because no one says ever no to the tsarina, so that shouldn't pose a problem.

When he reached Stark Manor, Anton checked at first what his little brother was up to. He found the blond boy in the stables, currying the mane of their five horses with enthusiasm. Not wanting to disturb him, the brunette young man made his way to the workshop which was next to the main house, pulling his thin kaftan jacket closer to his body, when a sudden icy gust of wind went through his clothes and made him shiver.

"Well, looks like Father Winter slowly wakes up." he said to himself when he had reached the building, which not only accommodated the workshop but also served as a small-scale warehouse with hundreds of tools and Howard's complete as well as uncomplete projects.

As expected, the workshop was a complete mess and Anton doubted that his father would notice if he borrowed some of them. Nevertheless, he prepared himself to be careful. Who knew what kind of invention Howard was momentarily working on.

Anton slowly made his way through the chaos that was the front shop, having to be careful not to step on anything that could be important. It wasn't an easy task, but he made finally to the back, where the storage units were located. Looking down on his slip of paper, he opened the shelves one by one, taking out the tools he needed and taking a look at those which he hadn't seen before.

Anton had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that when it came to improvising and inventing new tools, his father might be some sort of genius. Not that he'd ever say that out loud. To stop thinking of that particular subject, the young man chose to continue his search in the depths of the workshop.

He became so immersed in his work that he didn't notice the slamming of the front door and the heavy footsteps coming his way until a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him away from the shelf where he had been standing. Anton let out a loud yelp before he was dumped unceremoniously on the dirty floor.

Before he could look up, an only too well-known voice yelled at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, BOY? DIDN'T I MAKE IT CLEAR THAT MY SHOP IS OFF LIMITS?" Howard roared.

Anton froze for a moment, but recovered pretty quickly and rolled over on his back only to see the angry face of his father. That couldn't be. Why was his father even already back? And judging by his mood, the meeting with the tsarina didn't end well. So Anton did the only right thing in this situation. He apologized.

"I'm sorry, Father. I just needed some tools for the irrigation system I'm going to build for the Barton Farm." he replied in a quiet voice, his eyes never leaving Howard's face.

But as soon as the words had left his mouth, he regretted it. Howard's angry features suddenly became unreadable and the older man sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're doing WHAT!?" he said in that quiet voice from which Anton knew from personal experience that the shit was going to hit the fan soon.

Next thing he knew that Howard had taken him by the cuff of his neck with a strength, which Anton didn't know his father possessed and was dragging him across the dirty workshop floor to the front entrance and then outside.

Anton could hear Stepka shouting in the distance, before he found himself in the back of his father's small horse carriage and Howard on the box using his horsewhip to run the horses.

Both grey horses reared up with a loud neigh and then started to dash off so fast that Anton was flung crisscross all over the carriage's back area. He briefly wondered what the villagers had to think, seeing him on the loading area of his father's carriage. But judging by their looks, they were just as shocked as he was by his father's actions.

They left the village soon enough and Anton could see the first trees of the Bewitched Forest coming closer. When they were deep enough in the woods, the carriage jerked to a halt and Howard got off his seat, walking around the vehicle to the back. He grabbed Anton by the collar and hauled him off the carriage platform on the muddy forest floor.

"I will teach you a lesson to respect your father's property. You will stay here and don't come back until I see fit. Or I swear you'll never see Stepan again!" he growled.

Anton sucked in a deep breath. Of course Howard would threaten him like this. But Stepka was the one subject where his protective streaks kicked on the spot.

"You lay a finger on him and I..." Anton started, but Howard interrupted him.

"We'll see, boy. AND NOW GET LOST!" he belled before he got back on his carriage seat, cracking his whip at the poor horses. The animals reared up again and took off, leaving Anton in a puddle of mud.

The younger man watched them until they had disappeared between the trees. Well, it looked like he was stuck here for a while. He might as well look for a hideout for the night. Anton looked around. He had never been this deep in the Bewitched Forest before. This deep, it certainly didn't look inviting. It was dull, even though it was barely noon. And somehow he had the feeling that was somebody, or something, was watching him.

Anton decided then that it was better to move on. Getting up from the ground, he began to walk slowly deeper into the woods, not knowing what would await him.

* * *

 ***** II. Lost in the Woods *****

* * *

Baba Alexandrova loved the Bewitched Forest.

It was such a lovely place for witches like him. Okay, to be honest, Alexandrova wasn't his real name (it was Alexandr) and in reality, he was a just a small-scale sorcerer, who just loved wearing women's clothes. But it totally wasn't his fault that he had been kicked out of the Tsarina's court by those bigoted assholes. Honestly, you wear the Empress's favourite robe one time, then gets caught by her and she has to make such a fuss about it. Royal killjoys.

Well, at last he had inherited this nice little hut from his _babushka_ , the infamous Baba Yaga, when she had married her childhood love Koschei the Deathless, the man, whose soul was hidden inside a needle and said needle was hidden inside other things and beings, and now lived in Koschei's castle. And it was such a nice hut, made out of the strongest wood and standing on a small hill on two chicken feet, from where he had the best view on every _tsarevitch_ who seemed to haunt the Forest every other week.

But only that way he could alert his favourite nephew Brock, the notorious Nightingale the Robber, and his buddies in their lair nearby, because robbing rich people was Brock's job and offering his magical powers to people, who at least appreciated his services, was his.

But today was different. Right now, he was baking a nice little poppy seed cake for Brock, whose birthday was today, and who'd show up any moment with his boys for a small celebration. There was a nice, strong, self-brewed ale waiting for them, a gift from him and his babushka. Schmidt, his red pet cat, was curled up on top of the oven, always liking it warm, watching its master work though bright green eyes, while Zola, his pet pig, laid in a corner and took a nap from all the eating and drinking all day.

Baba Alexandrova hummed to himself, while he opened the oven door and pushed he bread slider under the cake, before retrieving and putting it on the desk. Right then, the hut started to move, slowly turning clockwise at an angle of 45 degrees before stopping. The Baba dusted some imaginary and some existent dust from his dirty blue _sarafan_ dress and adjusted his makeshift turban before opening the door.

Outside stood Brock, just like he had expected, dressed in his 'finest', which actually meant not his most ragged attire, which consisted of a black kaftan over a shirt of the same colour, off-white trousers and black boots. The black bandanna wrapped around his head and the eye-patch with the little, red skull with six tentacles over his right eye gave him a very piratical touch. His four fellow robbers - John, Grant, Jasper and Jack - were dressed similarly, except for the patch.

" _Tjotushka_! You are alive - and well. It's so nice to see you! Boys, doesn't he look good for his age?" Brock exclaimed, spreading his arms to give his auntie a hug. His men agreed unanimously. Baba Alexandrova scowled. Brock may be dressed better today, but his manners were still abysmal. That was also the reason why Brock's head had a sudden encounter with the bread slider.

"Ouch! That was mean, _Tjotja_!" the robber pouted.

"Well, be glad that I haven't sicced Schmidt on you or your face would look less pretty now. And now come in, boys! I made poppy seed cake and there's a gift from your _babushka_ on the table." he said, while letting the men in. Brock and his fellows cheered and almost run the Baba over in their haste to get a look at his gift. Only a warning glance at the robbers saved him from that fate.

After everyone had taken a seat, Baba Alexandrova cut the cake into six pieces and put one on each plate.

"Well, then tuck in and enjoy your cake, boys!"

"Thanks, _Tjotushka_!" the men chorused and tucked in.

The Baba smiled fondly at them, because although they behaved like children sometimes, he loved them nonetheless. Then he also started to eat, although a little more cultivated.

* * *

Anton didn't know how long he had been walking, but the path into the Forest seemed to be endless, going nowhere. He had no idea, where he was and where he was heading to, because there were no forks to other paths. He was hungry and thirsty and worried sick about Stepka. The thirst problem was solved quickly, though, when he came across a small pond, from which he drank, until his thirst was quenched.

He sat for a while, pondering over what to do now, when his eyes spotted something on a hill nearby. It was nearly impossible to see because of the constant twilight and the dark trees it hid behind, but when he got up and started walking toward the shape, it became clearer. It looked like an ordinary hut, but then it wasn't one. The difference made the pair of huge chicken feet it was standing on and the dead trees surrounding it, which seemed to have some sort of face on it.

Anton nearly doubled over. Hut on chicken feet? Hadn't Sarah once told a story about the witch that lived inside the Forest in a hut on chicken feet? That must be it. But did he really want to set a foot in there?

After struggling with himself, Anton decided that he could at least ask for ways out of the Forest. If he could only remember how to get the shack to show its front side...

But he could not remember it, so he tried another approach and addressed the hut directly.

"Hey, little hut, could you do me a favour and turn your back to the forest and your face to me?" he asked, hoping that it would work.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then the shack started to turn slowly, walls creaking as it moved. Anton made a fist bump in the air, which completely froze, when the front door was yanked open and the ugliest woman - no, not a woman, but an older man wearing ragged women's clothes, a dirty red turban-like headdress huge tusks that emerged from his underjaw - appeared on the threshold. Anton instinctively fell back a few steps.

So that was the Baba of the Bewitched Forest.

* * *

Baba Alexandrova was just catching up on the newest gossip, while the men enjoyed the ultra-strong vodka, when the hut suddenly started to move.

"What the hell? Who dares interrupt our small party?" the Baba growled and threw a glance through the slightly soiled window, seeing Anton standing there.

"Who's that boy?" he demanded to know.

Brock and his men looked outside, dirty grins forming on their faces.

"Well, well, well, if that isn't the older Stark boy! Guess his father finally snapped and threw him out." Brock laughed. Even he knew what a bastard Howard could be if he wanted to. News travelled fast and even robbers loved some good gossip.

Baba Alexandrova narrowed his eyes.

"Is he now?" he hissed, already getting up to invite their unknowing guest in.

He yanked the door open and barked:

"What do you want?"

Down on the Forest floor, Anton recovered quickly and sucked in a deep breath.

"I just need directions to get out of this forest."

The Baba huffed. Directions. The boy needed directions. Did he look like he was the Bewitched Forest Tourist Information?

"Well, too bad. I'm not giving you any. And now FUCK OFF! You're disturbing our party! Cabin, turn back to the forest!" the baba bellowed and stomped his foot on the threshold.

With these words, Baba Alexandrova slammed the door shut and the hut returned to its original position.

"How rude!" Anton huffed, shaking his head. But two could play that game. He stomped his foot on the forest floor and shouted:

"Turn your face to me, hut!"

The hut turned round and Baba Alexandrova threw the door open, stomped and barked a "Turn back, hut!", before shutting the door anew. The cabin moved back.

But Anton didn't give up, his natural Stark ambition now kindling, and stomped again.

"Face Me!"

The hut turned for the thirst time. The door flew open and the Baba shouted:

"Face the Forest!"

The hut moved back.

"No, face me!" Anton yelled and the hut turned around again, only to have the Baba emerge again.

"No, you stupid cabin, face the Forest!"

Just as it started to move, Anton shouted: "No, face to me, little hut!"

"No, face the forest!"

"Face me!"

"Face the forest!"

"Face me!"

"NO, FACE THE FUCKING FOREST!"

"FACE MEEE!"

It went on like this until the Baba's hut got dizzy and refused to move at all. Only then, the Baba screamed in frustration, while several male snickers could be heard from inside. The Baba had to suck in several deep breaths before he was calm enough to think clear again.

"Fine, you can come in. But don't think I didn't warn you!" he huffed and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Anton found himself in the middle of the hut, while the Baba closed the door behind them. Taking in his surroundings, he saw a black-red cat lounging on top of the oven, eyeing him with narrowed green cat eyes, and a grown-up pig napping in one of the corners. Around the table, which occupied almost half of the hut's space, sat five grinning men, who looked awfully familiar. Then his eyes fell on the eye-patch one of them was wearing and realized the mistake he had just made.

Only one man wore such an eye-patch and that was the notorious Nightingale the Robber, the man who could kill anyone with one of his high-pitched whistles. He had walked right into a trap.

"Ahem, I guess I better leave. I don't want to disturb any further. Sorry for bothering you!" Anton said sheepishly and stepped back, only to find that the door was blocked by the Baba.

"Oh, please do stay, _Antoscha_! I've always wanted to get to know a Stark!" Brock said, while he stood up and walked forwards.

Anton's eyes widened. His heart began to race and he could recognize the beginnings of a panic attack, feeling trapped all of a sudden. He needed a way to get out. Quickly. His gaze fell on the cat and then chaos ensued, everything happening in slow-motion.

He ran forwards. He grabbed the hissing cat from its place on the oven and threw it at Brock's face. Brock screamed when Schmidt landed on it with sharp claws, scratching it for good. John, Jasper, Jack and Grant jumped up, throwing over their chairs, and tried to get Schmidt off his face, but stumbled all over Zola, who had been woken up by Brock's screams, and then crashed into their leader, knocking out his whistling tooth, much to Brock's dismay.

The Baba tried to grab Anton, but this one dived out of his reach and slid on his stomach through the Baba's legs on the floor towards the front door, causing the baba to fall over and hitting his head on the oven door, before he ended up on the floor. The Baba cursed and screamed for the other men to do something or they all would get a free flight with his mortar to No Man's Land.

Grant and John hasted after Anton, but the young Stark was already outside, only to realize that the dead trees were actually wood goblins. He managed to get out of their grasp and run as fast as he could into the opposite direction from where he had come from. John and Grant weren't that lucky. It took them much longer to get away from the goblins.

By then, Anton was long gone.

* * *

Anton had no idea how long he had been running, but eventually he was so exhausted that he eventually stopped and slumped down to the ground, breathing heavily. He leaned against what he discovered to be the trunk of a large fir, whose trees gave him some sort of shelter. Eventually, his racing heart beat went back to normal and he just wanted to sleep.

Anton's eyes slowly dropped shut, but before the young Stark fell into a dreamless sleep, he could have sworn that something cold touched his nose. Then he was out like a light.

He did not notice the freshening wind, did not notice the myriads of tiny white crystals falling down to the ground, each of them a unique masterpiece. He did not notice the surrounding trees und floor turning from green to bright white.

 _Dedushka_ _Zima_ had started his annual work.

* * *

Yasha loved the cold season. Ever since he took over the family business from his _dedushka_ , he couldn't wait until it was time to call the winter storms, cover the flora with snow and to make sure that it stayed that way until spring.

His cousin Natasha often teased him about his enthusiasm and called him a 'child in a man's body'. But Yasha was okay with that, mostly because it was true. And Natasha only loved to tease him, because she loved the winter herself, but didn't show it as much as he did.

So the 'Prince of Winter' found himself in the Bewitched Forest on this first winter day, dressed in his favourite winter clothes and holding his staff, and couldn't help but sing a little song while he trudged through the freshly fallen snow, the white substance crunching under his thick fur boots:

"V lesu rodilas yolochka

V lesu ona rosla.

Zimoi i letom strojnaja

Zelenaja byla."

(A little fir was born in the forest,

It grew up in the forest.

It was slim and green

In winter as well as in summer.)

"Zimoi i letom strojnaja

Zelenaja byla."

(It was slim and green

In winter as well as in summer.)

Yasha paused and saw a still green fir. Shaking his head, he raised his staff and snow magically appeared on the tree. Satisfied with his work, he walked on and continued to sing:

"Metel' ej pela pesenku

«Spi jolochka, baj-baj!»

Moroz snezhkom ukutyval

«Smotri ne zamerzaj!»"

(And the snowstorm sang a little song:

"Sleep, little fir, hushaby!"

And the frost wrapped it up with snow:

"Be careful, don't freeze!")

Yasha paused again, taking in the beauty of it all, before he ended his song with:

"Moroz snezhkom ukutyval

«Smotri ne zamerzaj!»"

(And the frost wrapped it up with snow:

"Be careful, don't freeze!")

Then he did, what he could do best. He created winter - or more a Winter Wonderland. Yasha used his staff to spray the white, frozen water on everything that wasn't covered by snow right now, humming to himself while doing it.

That way he came across the large fir tree and started to spray snow on it, when he noticed the unmoving figure leaning against the trunk. At once, he stopped spraying and carefully stalked up on it without making a single noise. His ice blue eyes widened, when he saw the young human man sleeping there, only clad in thin autumn clothes. He was really gorgeous and handsome - for a human. Yasha had always been a sucker for brown eyes and dark hair. But the most important question for Yasha at the moment was if the human was still alive.

He knelt down in front of the human and laid his staff next to him in the snow so that he didn't accidentally turned the boy into an ice statue. Yasha flexed his left hand unconsciously, when that thought occurred. Then he took off the thick fur glove from his right hand and put it on the young man's hand to feel if he had still a pulse.

Yasha had hardly touched the human's hand when the boy's eyes flew open and he startled out of his sleep. Immediately, Yasha fell backwards and his left, still gloved hand took hold of his staff. After the human had calmed down, he gaped at Yasha, as if he had never seen a mystical being before. Maybe the young man had had a bad run-in with the Baba. It would certainly explain a lot.

"Who are you?" the boy asked carefully. And boy, he did have such a nice voice. Yasha could feel himself starting to blush. That was just great. Natasha would tease him to no end if she ever got wind of his sudden infatuation with a human male. Hell, who was he kidding? She WAS going to get wind of it.

"Who are you?" the boy asked again, this time louder.

Yasha barely pulled himself together before answering:

"Hello, I'm Yasha, but my friends from the green Isle in the West call me Bucky!

But you humans call me Dedushka Zima!"

* * *

 ***** III. A winterly Happy End *****

* * *

Anton awoke to the sensation of cold and the feeling being watched. His eyes flew open, when he startled out of his sleep - and stared right into the face of the most handsome specimen he had ever seen - in the middle of the snowed-in forest. Of course he had to wake up on the first day of winter. Well, at last the sight wasn't that bad.

The man was maybe eight years older than him, had dark, shoulder-length hair and the most beautiful eyes – they were glacier or ice blue, but who cared anyway - in the most attractive face he had ever seen.

But also the man's clothing was so different from what the villagers usually wore. The thick caftan, which Anton could see from out of the long, slit sleeves of the man's silver-coloured, floor-length _shuba_ , had the same colour as his eyes and made of the finest, embroidered silk. The _shuba's_ collar was made of white fur and icicled. The rest of the coat was embroidered with uncounted tiny sparkling snowflakes. The only exception was the left sleeve, where Anton could see a bigger snowflake in the shape of a red star.

Along with it, he wore white trousers and silver _walenki_ and on his head a matching hat with white fur trim. His left gloved hand gripped a long, sparkling staff, its end an elaborated icicle fountain.

Tony was in love at once.

Still he needed to know for himself who the man was. But after his run-in with the Baba, it was better to be careful. So he asked, but the man gave no answer, just stared at him. And was that a blush on his face? That was somehow adorable. Anton asked him again and this time he received an answer. Tilting his head slightly, the man gave him an answer that made him speechless. Holding out his not gloved hand, he replied:

"Hello, I'm Yasha, but my friends from the green Isle in the West call me Bucky! But you humans call me Dedushka Zima!"

Anton blinked. Was that man serious? This gorgeous guy was Father Winter? He looked more like a prince of winter. Ded - Yasha looked at him expectantly and Anton's brain really needed a moment to reboot, before he realized that Yasha was waiting for his name. Shaking Yasha's hand, he introduced himself.

"Anton. Anton Stark! Nice to meet you, Yasha!"

"Nice to meet you, Toscha. And please call me Bucky! Only Nat calls me Yasha." Bucky replied, happy to now have a name to such a handsome face. Anton noticed the slip with his name and couldn't help but give a retort.

"And you can all me what you want, hot stuff!" he giggled, suddenly on a high.

But as soon as the words were out of his mouth, his brown eyes widened and covered his mouth with both hands. Maybe it was because of the bitter cold which slowly seemed to creep into every cell of his body to the point where his brain refused to cooperate with his limbs.

Bucky shot him a worried look. But when Anton's teeth started to chatter, his lips turned blue and he mumbled something like 'brain freeze' and 'too cold', the other man looked downright pained and didn't hesitate to take off his warm fur coat, laying it on the young human. Anton sighed happily, when his limbs regained their mobility again.

"Is that better, Toscha?" Bucky asked, worried that Anton might freeze to death just because of his work.

"Yeah, thanks!" Anton said.

But Bucky wasn't convinced that easily. For a moment, he debated with himself how to continue - and made a decision. He looked at the half-frozen young man.

"How to feel about a sleigh ride to my humble home?" he asked, a small smile on his face.

Anton raised one eyebrow. A sleigh for two to Bucky's home? Sounded awesome.

"When do we start?" he asked, acting coyly, although he definitively wasn't shy. Bucky laughed out loud and heaved himself up, turning his upper body sideways. Then he let out a high-pitched whistle that echoed through the entire forest.

Anton yelped when the earth began to shake and red smoke rose up on a free spot only a few metres away, becoming thicker and thicker with every passing second. And then a magnificent sleigh appeared - horseless, but sparkling in the same silver and blue like Bucky's outfit and of course the red star snowflake.

Bucky helped Anton getting up and settled him into the sled's seat, using his _shuba_ as a substitute blanket. Then Bucky was about to sit down next to him, when a small bird came flying to them and sat down on top of Bucky's staff, only to get turned into ice. The frozen bird fell into Tony's lap and the young man looked with shock at it.

"The poor bird. Can you turn it back?" he asked the man next to him. Bucky only smiled sadly at him and shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Once someone or something touches my staff, it's lost. I'm sorry." he whispered before he shouted a loud command and the sleigh raced off, causing to fall back into the seat. The ride was fast and different from the ride in a sleigh with horses. It was awesome. While they raced through the countryside, Anton told Bucky everything what had happened in the last twenty-four hours and the years with his father.

Bucky listened with fascination, because it had been a long time since one of his family had helped a human. He remembered that his grandfather had helped a young couple once, who had the same problems like Anton did. It was then that he decided to do the same for Anton. And who knew? Maybe he had found a spouse for himself today, because he hadn't missed the glances Anton had given. But he'd have to take it slow. And for once he was sure the human wouldn't mind.

The ride didn't last long. Bucky's humble home turned out to be a nice little palace well hidden in the woods at the shore of a small frozen lake. When the sled had stopped in front of the front gate, he helped Anton out of it, always making sure that the coat stayed on his shoulders, and showed him the way inside.

* * *

The interior of the palace was breath-taking. From the entrance hall lead one door to the right into what looked like a study. Two stairways - one on the right and one on the left side - led to the upper floor, while on the ground floor, if you went straightforward, one reached the magnanimous living area. But the best thing was that everything was so bright - brighter than his home ever had been.

"Do you like it?" Bucky asked, while he took his coat off Anton's shoulders.

"I love it." Anton admitted. Bucky beamed at him and Anton felt himself turn red at that smile, because it was as if the sun was breaking though rain clouds, a warm feeling chasing away the cold from his bones. Bucky disappeared in his study for a moment and when he came back, his coat, hat and gloves were gone. Only then he noticed the icy sparkle on Bucky's left hand, who looked so different from his right, more human-looking hand. It seemed frozen, but was still movable.

Bucky noticed Anton's glance on his ice hand and tried to hide in his sleeve. But Anton caught it despite Bucky's protests and took a closer look at it.

"What happened to your hand? It looks so frozen." he wanted to know.

Bucky sighed. Of course, Anton had to notice his cursed hand. He hated it when other people looked at it with pity. That was the only reason why he wore a thin blue glove on this hand most of the time. But well, the younger man would have found out sooner or later. And it was better to tell the truth about it, before he'd have started a courtship, only to get rejected when Toscha get a closer look at his ugly arm.

"It's only the hand. It's the whole arm. I had a bad run-in with the Baba a few decades ago. He tried to turn me into an ice statue with my own staff. I was lucky that Nat and some of my other friends stopped him before he could succeed. I know it looks awful. I-I'll just put my glove on." He stammered, lowering his head and turning to go back into his study. But Anton held him back.

"You don't have to do that. I kind of like it." he confessed, rubbing his thumb over Bucky's iced knuckles. They were cold, true, but a pleasant kind of cold. And much to his surprise, Anton really meant it. That some someone like Bucky had still imperfections, made him look more human in the younger man's eyes.

"Thank you!" Bucky whispered, still surprised over Anton's confession, because no one outside his circle of friends had said this to him before.

"Still picking up strays, Yasha?" another voice interrupted their moment. Anton let go of Bucky's hand and turned his head towards the source of the voice. It belonged to a young woman about Bucky's visual age standing on the left stairway, who was just as beautiful as he was.

Flaming red Hair, green eyes, beautiful red lips and natural pale skin, of which the village girls could only dream about. She wore a bright white shuba over her richly embroidered, sparkling, floor-length _sarafan_ dress and shirt of the same colour. On her head, she wore a white, crest-shaped _kokoshnik_ , adorned with silver embroideries and crystal pearls, which ended in a pearl netting on her forehead. It was tied at the back of the head under the thick red plait that Anton could see resting on the left side of her chest.

He briefly wondered in which way she was related to Bucky. Was she a just friend or a relation? If the latter applied to her, then the beauty thing must be running in he family, Anton thought.

Last but not least, a transparent veil covered most of her back and she held a muff in her left hand.

"Nat, you're still here? I thought Samuel was going to pick you up before heading to our grandparents."

The woman - Nat - slowly walked down the stairs and made her way to them.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be so early. He isn't here yet." she said. Turning her head, she eyed Anton from head to toe. The young Stark cringed under her scrutinizing gaze, before she turned towards Bucky.

"Won't you introduce me to your friend?" she demanded, crossing her arms on her chest.

Bucky scratched his head in embarrassment and then gestured to Anton.

"Natasha, this is Anton Stark - Toscha. I found him in the Forest. He was on the run from the Baba. Apparently, he crashed Brock's birthday party there."

The Winter Prince then gestured back to Natasha, who had raised both eyebrows at the mention of the Baba.

"Toscha, this is my cousin Natasha. You may know her better as _Snegurochka_."

Anton gaped. This was THE Snow Maiden? No wonder she looked so beautiful.

"Are you really the Snow Maiden?" he stuttered.

Natasha chuckled. So her cousin had found himself an adorable boyfriend. And a brave one, too. Everyone, who could take on the Baba, was already in her good books.

"I am! But please don't be too shocked when I'm telling you that the term Maiden is really overused nowadays. I'm just a modern woman, who happens to have natural freezing powers, which by the way is a perfectly common occurrence in our family, Anton." she replied, shaking Anton's hand.

This one opened his mouth for a retort, but a shrill bird call from outside ended every possible discussion at once. Natasha's face lightened up and she looked over her outfit one more time.

"Sam's here. I have to go. See you in two days, Yasha! And don't mess this up!" she said warningly, kissing Bucky's cheek and then Anton's before hurrying to the door.

"Send my love to _Dedushka_ and _Babushka_ , will you?" Bucky called after her.

Natasha lifted and waved at them.

"Will do!" she called back, opening the front entrance. But instead of walking outside, Natasha vanished in a swirl of snowflakes, effectively shutting the door that way. The shrill bird cry resounded again and the world outside suddenly glowed as if it were on fire before it became normal again.

"What just happened? And who's Sam?" Anton asked after a moment of silence. Bucky looked at the younger man and answered:

"He's a _Zhar_ - _ptitsa_ and Natasha's betrothed. You will meet him when he brings her back from them visiting our grandparents."

"Cool. Always wanted to meet a firebird." Anton replied honestly. He really did. Stepka would be so jealous.

"Well, I don't know what you think, but how about I give you the Grand Tour and then we could eat something before I show you my workshop. It's Candyland!" Bucky suggested.

"Okay, when do we start?"

"We just did!" Bucky chuckled and grabbed the younger man's hand, pulling him upstairs.

* * *

After giving Anton the Grand Tour through his humble palace, they made their way to the kitchens, where Bucky's household spirits - yes, apparently every mystical being owned helper spirits - had already prepared a small brunch for them. It wasn't much - just freshly baked bread and the best borscht Anton had eaten in his entire life - but it gave him back some of his strength.

After brunch, Bucky showed him his workshop as promised and Anton couldn't help but gape when they entered the room that was twice as big as his father's and really had all the toys and tools. Bucky hadn't exaggerated when he had said that it was Candyland. When Anton asked if he could use it from time to time, the Winter Prince had just laughed and told him that he could use whenever he wanted to. Whatever was Bucky's, was his now, too.

That made Anton's insides feel warm and flattery, a feeling he had never experienced before. He wondered if Bucky felt it, too.

In the days that followed, they fell in a comfortable routine. Since Anton had his own room now - and it was such a nice room, since it was thrice as big as his old room, he finally got some well-deserved rest after years of dealing with Howard. Bucky and Anton would eat breakfast together, before Bucky would go into the woods, making sure that everything stayed covered with snow or covering more areas with the white substance, while Anton would take full advantage of using the workshop, already creating gifts for the children on New Year's Eve.

After lunch, Bucky would spend time working in his study and Anton sometimes joined him and showed some new ideas for toys, but also ideas for some brand-new inventions. Then the older man would always smile that mysterious smile of his - the one which Anton liked best.

In the evening, after a hearty dinner, they lounged together in front of the open fireplace, either each of reading a book from Bucky's big library for themselves or aloud. Neither men would admit it out loud, but they enjoyed the domesticity and each other's company very much. It just felt right for both of them.

And of course Tony got to meet Sam, when he dropped off Natasha, and who was in his human form a dark-skinned, surprisingly pleasant and nice man. He even gave Anton one of his feathers as a present, which glowed so bright that he could illuminate his room with this single feather.

Sam wasn't the only mystical being that visited Bucky and Natasha regularly. As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, the Winter Prince was visited every month by twelve brothers, who turned out to be the personification of the twelve months. It was strange to see that the youngest brother (January) looked like he was barely 10 years old, while the oldest (December) had the appearance of a 120-year-old one. But they were really nice guys and shared some embarrassing stories about Bucky, which this one absolutely hated (but his blush was so adorable), but Anton absolutely loved.

And when he missed Stepka so bad that it hurt, Bucky told him that Farmer Barton was now taking care of him. Apparently, his father had realized that he couldn't take care of Stepan (sadly still no parental skills) and work on his invention at the same time and asked the Farmer, since he had already three children. Anton had to admit that was the first time his father had done something right.

Slowly, Anton and Bucky fell more and more in love with each other, but no one had the courage to admit it, yet.

What they both didn't know, was that the Baba Alexandrova was still looking for revenge for the ruined birthday party. She had sent Schmidt, whose fur was now completely black except for the face, which was still mostly red and gave Schmidt the impression of having a red skull, on a reconnaissance mission to find Anton, accompanied by Zola, who was now part pig, part sleigh. The Baba watched them though her magic plate and directed them that way.

It was a mere coincidence that both animals across Bucky's palace, when Anton said goodbye to Natasha and Bucky, just as they left for their daily round. Schmidt used the opportunity to slip into the palace, before Anton closed the door. Just then the young man noticed the furred visitor.

"Hey, _kotonok_. What are doing here?" Anton asked, bending down to pick the cat up. But Schmidt slipped out of his grasp and ran off into Bucky's study. Anton followed him quickly and saw the cat sitting next to Bucky's staff, which he had apparently forgotten. Anton got ready to grab the cat, when the inevitable happened. He stumbled and accidentally touched the staff.

Suddenly, there was loud white noise in his ears and the last thing, which he saw and heard before the world turned black, was the smirk on Schmidt's face and the shout of his name.

* * *

Bucky had never forgotten his staff in his entire life. So he counted himself lucky that it had happened this time or he'd have found Toscha too late. When he had entered his study, he watched in horror as the younger man crumpled to the floor and became semi-transparent.

"TOSCHA!" he screamed loud enough that Natasha came running in and her eyes also widened in horror, when she saw what had happened. Neither of them noticed the cat slipping out and getting on the pig-sled, which had been waiting outside to bring them back to the Baba, who was beside herself with malicious glee and promptly rewarded Schmidt and Zola.

Meanwhile, Bucky dropped to his knees and cradled Anton's lifeless body in his arms, tears running down his cheeks, while Natasha knelt next to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"This is my fault. He's like that just because I forgot my staff!" Bucky sobbed. This couldn't be. Why did fate hat him so much? He had found himself the perfect partner and only because he had been a coward, Toscha would now never know how he felt.

"I'm sorry, Yasha!" Natasha whispered, giving his shoulder a squeeze, before she got up and left them to their privacy.

Bucky continued to sob, until he had no more tears to shed. Then he picked up Anton's body and laid him on his divan, watching that beautiful face for what felt like hours. Finally, when he couldn't endure it any longer, he kissed Anton's ice-cold forehead and brushed away a few bangs that had fallen into Anton's face.

"I love you, Toscha, ever since I found you under that fir. I know I should have told you much earlier, but I wasn't brave enough." he whispered. He closed his eyes and laid his head on Anton's still chest.

"You're such a drama queen!" a tired voice whispered all of a sudden. Bucky's head shot up and to his surprise, but also relief, Toscha watched him with tired eyes, while he slowly visible again.

"Toscha! You are alive." Bucky breathed, overjoyed that his Toscha was speaking with him again.

"Yeah, looks like it! And I love you, too, by the way." Anton said.

Bucky laughed and began to smother his Toscha with kisses, until he stopped the older man with his hand.

"Stop that, please! I need some fresh air." he demanded.

"Of course. Wait a minute!" Bucky picked up Tony carefully and carried him outside, where Tony took a few deep breaths, until his head felt clearer.

"You do know that I expect you to make an honest man out me, now! I've waited long enough for you to make a move!" Tony asked with a smirk on his face, batting his lashes at Bucky, who laughed and kissed him again.

"Everything you want, my Toscha! But you know what that also means? We have to travel to your village, talk to your father and go get your brother. I don't think that you want to leave him there." the older man explained.

Tony groaned.

"Do you really expect me to humiliate my father in front of the whole village?"

Bucky just raised a questioning eyebrow as if to ask if he was kidding. Tony cackled.

"You're right! Now I know why I love you. I'm sooo in." the younger man giggled.

He couldn't wait to see his father's face when he turned up with Bucky at his side. This was going to be awesome.

* * *

A few days later, Stepka, who was playing on the snowy field with Farmer Barton's three children, was the first one to see the majestic silver-grey sleigh, pulled by three black stallions, riding along the main road towards the village entrance. Excited, the kids ran back to the farmhouse and told Clint everything about the 'awesome sleigh from heaven', which approached the village at an unbelievable speed.

Farmer Barton didn't believe them at first, but when they convinced him to see it with his own eyes, they stepped out of the house just in time, as the sleigh stopped in front of them, two men occupying the inside of the sled, one of them sitting, the other one standing and holding the reins.

Stepka immediately recognized his brother, although Tony was dressed in warm furs in his favourite colour red, the coat and the hat embroidered richly with golden patterns. He didn't know the other man, but he had a kind face and was dressed similarly to Tony, only that his patterns were silver and he had a large silver star-shaped snowflake on his left sleeve.

"Toscha!" Stepka cried happily and ran to his brother, who had jumped up as well and picked his little brother, swinging him through the air before he hugged close.

"Oh my god, Stepka, I've missed you so much. And my, have you grown up!" Anton laughed, happy to enfold his little brother in his arm's once again.

"Me, too, Toscha! Papa has been so mean to everyone ever since you left." Stepka complained.

Anton rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No big change then!" he muttered.

"Take it easy, Toscha! Why don't you introduce to your brother?" the other man asked, stepping next to him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Buck!" Anton apologized. "Bucky, this is Stepka, my little brother. Stepka, this is Bucky, my betrothed. He also happened to be Dedushka Zima!"

Stepka's blue eyes widened and he eyed Bucky from head to toe. "Proof it!" he demanded, stubbornly crossing his arms on his chest. Bucky scratched his chin as if he was in thoughts.

"Wow, that's a big thing to ask for, Stepka! But your wish is my command." he said, a smile on his face. He went back to the sleigh and fetched his staff from the back.

"Do you see that green fir over there?" he asked, pointing to a tree next to the farmhouse.

Stepka nodded. Bucky raised his staff and then snow started to spray from the tip, slowly covering the fir until was completely white. Stepka and Clint's children cheered, only to be joined by the rest of the village.

Apparently, Clint hadn't been the only one to see the sleigh coming. Thor had seen it coming, too, and shouted the news all over the marketplace. So, naturally, everyone had known it at once and walked the short distance to Clint's farm in time to see Dedushka Zima at work.

"Was that proof enough? So you don't mind coming with me and your brother." Bucky asked him. Stepka nodded enthusiastically, before becoming serious again.

"But what about Papa?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, what about me?" Howard's voice from behind. The sea of people parted and let the inventor through. Anton's jaw tightened as soon as he saw his father face to face and for the first time in years, Anton was ready to explode.

"What about you? It's not like you'd give a damn about us. I've been taking care of Stepka ever since Sarah died and you threw me out because of your stupid workshop. And then you shunt Stepka off, just because your parental skills are practically on-existent. You know what. I'm going to take Stepka with me and Bucky, because you're a shitty father and that's something I should have told you years ago." he practically shouted.

Howard, not used to his son mouthing off, closed and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The village people on the other side, they applauded and cheered bravoes again and again. The inventor turned crimson, before spinning on his heel and storming off without a word.

"Wow, now I feel like I just got rid of 18 years of daddy issues in one minute." Anton muttered.

Bucky chuckled.

"Probably because that's what you just did. Come on, let's go home!" he said, taking Stepka from Tony.

"You're right!" Anton whispered. While Bucky got the blond boy settled in the sleigh's seat, Anton turned one last time to his friends.

"Thank you, my friends! For everything! I'll see you at the wedding, because you're all invited." he said and waved at them, who waved back and shouted their goodbyes.

"You're welcome, Anton!"

"See you at the wedding!"

"Good luck, my boy!"

The waving and the shouting didn't even stop, when Anton was back in the sled next to his brother and close to the man he loved and they were back on their way back to the Bewitched Forest. But the last thing the villagers heard was Stepka's delighted squeal when Anton told him that Snegurochka was going to be his cousin-in-law.

And why do I know this?

Because I went to their wedding, ate and drank too much, but in reality celebrated the joining of two souls, who always had been one.

* * *

************************* **Happy Holidays!** *************************

* * *

 ***** Extras ****

Cast:

Bucky Barnes as Yasha/Bucky/Dedushka Zima

Tony Stark as Anton Stark/Toscha

Steve Rogers as Stepan Stark/Stepka

Howard Stark as himself

Natasha Romanoff as Snegurochka

Sam Wilson as Zhar-ptitsa

Alexander Pierce as Baba Alexandrova

Brock Rumlow as Nightingale the Robber

Jasper Sitwell

John Garrett

Jack Rollins

Grant Ward as The Nightingale Gang

Zola as the Baba's Pet Pig

Schmidt as the Baba's Pet Cat

Cameo appearances from

Clint Barton & his family

Thor

Bruce Banner

The twelve months

* * *

Translations and Glossar:

Yasha (Яша) - Russian Version of James

Dedushka Zima (Дедушка Зимa) - Father Winter

Anton (Антон) - Russian Version of Anthony

Toscha (Tоша) - Russian short form of Anton

Stepan/Stepka (Степан/Степка) - Russian Version of Steve

Snegurochka (Снегурочка) - Snow Maiden

Babushka - Grannie

Baba - hag (pejorative) or simply grandmother

Tjotushka - Auntie

Sarafan - a traditional, sleeveless women's dress, usually worn over a long-sleeved shirt

Tsarevitch - Son of a Tsar

Dedushka - Gramps

Shuba - Fur Coat, mostly floor-length, sleeves also floor-length and slits at the elbows so one could put his arms through

Walenki - Fur Boots

Kokoshnik - mostly a crest-shaped headdress for women, ending into a big ribbon tied together under the woman's plait

Zhar-ptitsa - Firebird from Slavic Folklore, whose majestic

plumage glows brightly, emitting red, orange and yellow lights, which looks like a bonfire

Kotonok - Kitten

Papa - Dad

* * *

Bucky's (Morozko's) Song - (V lesu rodilas yolochka - В лесу родилась ёлочка):

В лесу родилась ёлочка,

В лесу она росла,

Зимой и летом стройная,

Зелёная была.

Метель ей пела песенку:

«Спи, ёлочка, бай-бай!»;

Мороз снежком укутывал:

«Смотри, не замерзай!»

Трусишка зайка серенький

Под ёлочкой скакал,

Порою волк, сердитый волк,

Рысцою пробегал.

Чу! Снег по лесу частому

Под полозом скрипит,

Лошадка мохноногая

Торопится, бежит.

Везёт лошадка дровенки,

На дровнях - мужичок,

Срубил он нашу ёлочку

Под самый корешок.

И вот она, нарядная,

На праздник к нам пришла,

И много, много радости

Детишкам принесла.

 ** _A little fir was born in the forest_**

A little fir was born in the forest,

It grew up in the forest.

It was slim and green

In winter as well as in summer.

And the snowstorm sang a little song:

«Sleep, little fir, hushaby!»

And the frost wrapped it up with snow:

«Be careful, don't freeze!»

The coward grey bunny

Jumped around under the little fir.

Sometimes, the angry wolf

Ran and trotted over.

Listen! In the thick forest, the snow crunches

Under the runner's tread

The hairy-legged horse

Is running in haste.

The horse is taking some firewood

There's a peasant on the sledge

He's cut our little fir

At its very root.

And here it is, all dressed-up,

It's come to us for Christmas,

And has brought kids

Lots of happiness;

* * *

Fun Facts & Links:

\- In most Russian Fairy Tale movies, the Baba Yaga is played by a man.

\- Bucky's song is actually a famous Russian Christmas song.

\- For those, who don't know, Morozki or Ded Moroz is the Russian equivalent of Santa Clause, who brings the gifts on New Year's Eve.

The Russian Fairy Tale Movie Morozko (with English subtitles) from 1964 and the Russian Animation Movie about the twelve Months (with English subtitles) can be found on Youtube.


End file.
